Charlie Kirk killed: Alleged shooter identified as Tyler Robinson, 22

OREM, Utah — Turning Point USA founder and political activist Charlie Kirk was shot on Sept. 10 during an appearance at a Utah college campus. He died a short time later.

Live updates continue below:

Discord denies messages sent on platform

Update 2:14 p.m. ET, Sept. 12: Discord, the social media platform allegedly used by Tyler Robinson, denies that he had sent messages through the site.

In a statement to NBC News, Discord wrote,

“We are deeply saddened by this tragedy and extend our condolences to the Kirk family and everyone affected. In the course of our investigation, we identified a Discord account associated with the suspect, but have found no evidence that the suspect planned this incident or promoted violence on Discord. The messages referenced in recent reporting about planning details do not appear to be Discord messages. These were communications between the suspect’s roommate and a friend after the shooting, where the roommate was recounting the contents of a note the suspect had left elsewhere. We have removed the suspect’s account for violating our off-platform behavior policy. We strongly condemn violence of any kind, including political violence, and we will continue to coordinate closely with law enforcement.”

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said that Robinson’s roommate showed law enforcement officials Discord messages from an account with the name “Tyler” that wrote about retrieving a gun from a drop point, among other things, CNN reported.

“The content of these included messages affiliated with the contact Tyler, stating a need to retrieve a rifle from a drop point, leaving the rifle in a bush, messages related to visually watching the area where a rifle was left, and a message referring to having left the rifle wrapped in a towel,” Cox said.

The governor said the roommate “allowed investigators to take photos of the screen as each message was shown by Robinson’s mate,” CNN reported.

Who is Tyler Robinson

Update 11:47 a.m. ET, Sept. 12: Read more on Tyler Robinson.

Charges

Update 11:18 a.m. ET, Sept. 12: Tyler Robinson was arrested on charges of aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing bodily injury and obstruction of justice, NBC News and The Washington Post reported.

ICYMI: Watch the news conference announcing arrest

Update 10:53 a.m. ET, Sept. 12:

Tyler Robinson mug shots

Update 10:38 a.m. ET, Sept. 12: Officials have released the mug shots showing Tyler Robinson, as the Deseret News shared on social media. ABC News shared the same images on air.

Gov. Spencer Cox said the authorities believe that Robinson acted alone, but the investigation is ongoing, The Associated Press reported. He did say that Robinson was not a student at Utah Valley University, the site of the deadly shooting.

“He was living and had lived for a long time, with his family in Washington County,” Cox said, according to CNN.

Officials give update

Update 10:04 a.m. ET, Sept. 12: Officials during a news conference have confirmed the capture of the alleged shooter.

They identified him as Tyler Robinson. The news conference confirmed The Associated Press’ earlier reports. The AP had said that Robinson was a 22-year-old from Utah.

Utah’s Gov. Spencer Cox began the Friday morning news conference saying, “Good morning, ladies and gentlemen — we got him.”

“On the evening of September 11, a family member of Tyler Robinson reached out to a family friend who contacted the Washington County Sheriff’s Office with information that Robinson had confessed to them or implied that he had committed the incident,” Cox said, according to CNN.

He also explained how law enforcement pieced together the clues, including information gathered from family and friends, social media messages and physical evidence, The New York Times reported.

Robinson’s roommate showed investigators messages from Discord where the alleged gunman wrote about retrieving a rifle.

“The content of these included messages affiliated with the contact Tyler, stating a need to retrieve a rifle from a drop point, leaving the rifle in a bush, messages related to visually watching the area where a rifle was left, and a message referring to having left the rifle wrapped in a towel,” Cox said, according to CNN.

“The messages also refer to engraving bullets and a mention of a scope, and the rifle being unique. Messages from the contact Tyler also mentioned that he had changed outfits,” Cox said.

Cox confirmed earlier reports of inscriptions engraved on ammunition found with the Mauser 98 rifle.

Video footage from Utah Valley University showed Robinson arriving near the campus in a Dodge Challenger about four hours before the deadly shooting, The New York Times reported.

A family member told investigators that Robinson had “become more political in recent years,” Cox said, adding that the alleged shooter had said during a recent family dinner that he disliked Kirk coming to the school and why he did not like Kirk. Family told officials that Robinson “was full of hate,” The Washington Post reported.

Robinson has been booked into the Utah County Jail, The Washington Post reported.

Who is alleged shooter?

Update 9:15 a.m. ET, Sept. 12: The alleged shooter is a 22-year-old from Utah, according to an unidentified Associated Press source.

Hear what Trump had to say on Fox and Friends Friday morning:

Where was alleged shooter caught?

Update 8:55 a.m. ET, Sept. 12: The New York Times said the suspect was arrested in St. George, Utah, near Zion National Park. The information was given to the Times by a “law enforcement official who requested anonymity to discuss details of the ongoing investigation,” the newspaper said.

CNN reported that the alleged gunman told his father that he was the gunman and that the father kept his son until he could be handed over to law enforcement.

CNN reported on air that the news conference will start in about 30 minutes.

Trump claims shooting suspect has been caught

Update 8:09 a.m. ET, Sept. 12: President Donald Trump, during an appearance on Fox and Friends, said that “with a high degree of certainty” the suspected gunman who killed Kirk has been caught, The Associated Press reported.

Trump said someone “very close to him turned him in” and that the alleged arrest would be announced later Friday, CNN reported.

The president explained that a minister who knew a member of the U.S. Marshals Service identified the alleged gunman. The connection, Trump explained, then got the alleged shooter’s father involved, leading to the suspect being taken to a police station, the AP reported.

The man was taken into custody at about 11 p.m. local time, according to a law enforcement official who confirmed the capture to The New York Times.

Trump said that the information was preliminary and that he had found out about the update just before appearing on Fox and Friends, The New York Times reported.

“I’m always subject to correction, but I’m just giving you based on what I’m hearing,” the president said, according to CNN.

Four sources with knowledge of the alleged capture confirmed the news to CNN.

The arrest has not been officially announced by law enforcement, but a news conference is scheduled for 9 a.m. ET.

What you may have missed

Update 7:06 a.m. ET, Sept. 12: Officials have released a new video from shortly after Kirk was shot.

The footage shows a person running across the roof of a building, climbing off the edge and then dropping to the ground, The Associated Press reported. Additional photos were also released.

Officials said they have received more than 7,000 tips, but a suspect has still not been named and a motive has not been released, the AP said on Friday.

“The FBI hasn’t received this many digital media tips from the public since the Boston Marathon bombing,” Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Cox said that when the gunman is caught, prosecutors are going to pursue the death penalty, the newspaper reported.

Kirk’s body was taken back to his home state of Arizona on Thursday night. His casket was carried by Air Force Two and was accompanied by his wife, Erika, Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance.

The vice president and Kirk had been friends as far back as 2017, the AP reported.

Kirk’s funeral is being planned, and President Donald Trump said he plans to attend.

Photos: Search for clues, gunman

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Flight to Arizona, reward offered for gunman

Update 1:12 p.m. ET, Sept. 11: The Associated Press reported that Kirk’s casket will be flown from Utah to his home state of Arizona on board Air Force Two on Thursday. The aircraft is the one used by the vice president, according to the U.S. Air Force.

Vice President JD Vance was supposed to be at the Sept. 11 event in New York City, but then his schedule changed, and he was to now travel to Utah to meet with Kirk’s family, the AP reported earlier.

Meanwhile, the FBI is now offering a $100,000 reward for information leading to the identification and arrest of the alleged gunman, the AP reported.

Conflicting information

Update 12:32 p.m. ET, Sept. 11: A preliminary internal report from inside the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said that the ammunition found with the rifle had engravings, but about two hours after reports surfaced about the alleged engravings, a senior law enforcement official is now saying that the ATF report had not been verified with the agency and did not match other summaries, adding it could have been misread or misinterpreted, The New York Times reported.

The information about apparent messages on the ammunition was earlier reported by CNN, ABC News, Reuters and The Wall Street Journal.

Person of interest

Update 11:59 a.m. ET, Sept. 11: The FBI has released images of who they’re calling a “person of interest” and asks the public for tips.

Rifle, ammunition found with writings on them: CNN

Update 10:49 a.m. ET, Sept. 11: Officials said that the rifle and ammunition they found in a wooded area near the site of Kirk’s deadly shooting had, what CNN called, “A range of phrases related to cultural issues.”

Law enforcement officials are now trying to match initials on the writings to suspect profiles, a source told CNN.

The information was retracted by the government about two hours later.

The New York Times, speaking with three law enforcement officials, said that the rifle was an older Mauser 30-06 caliber rifle, which is popular with hunters.

Several rounds were recovered, including a spent round in the chamber, the Times reported.

No motive for the shooting has been provided, The Washington Post reported.

Presidential Medal of Freedom

Update 9:58 a.m. ET, Sept. 11: President Donald Trump addressed the crowd gathered at the Pentagon, first speaking about the assassination of Charlie Kirk, announcing that he will be presenting the political activist the Presidential Medal of Freedom, posthumously, at a later date.

Rifle recovered

Update 9:15 a.m. ET, Sept. 11: Beau Mason, Commissioner of the Utah Department of Public Safety, gave an update on Thursday morning.

He said there were a couple of persons of interest who were interviewed and released. He stressed that they were not suspects.

Law enforcement was able to track the shooter as he came onto campus, moved across the university into the building, then moved across the roof, leaving the roof and running into the neighboring community.

Mason said they have “good video” of him and are not releasing it as of now.

He said that the suspect “blended in well” with the crowd and that they believe he is of “college age.”

He said officials spoke with Kirk’s wife and the family is devastated.

FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Bohls also provided an update on the investigation.

Bohls said that a high-powered bolt-action rifle was recovered in a wooded area near where he had fled. It is believed to be the weapon used to shoot and kill Kirk.

They also have a footwear impression, palm print and forearm print believed to be the shooter’s.

Law enforcement agencies have received more than 130 tips.

Bohls said this was a targeted attack.

What you may have missed

Update 7:04 a.m. ET, Sept. 11: Officials have confirmed that Kirk was hit by a single shot fired from the roof of a nearby building by a person dressed in dark clothing, the AP reported.

He was taken by “private vehicle” to Timpanogos Regional Hospital, officials said, according to CNN.

The shooter is still on the run despite two people being detained and then released.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said that he believes only one person was involved in Kirk’s “political assassination,” CNN reported.

More than 15 hours after the shooting, the gunman has not been captured. ”Time just means the ability to get further away," University of New Haven’s Criminal Justice Department lecturer Kenneth Gray told CNN.

Law enforcement and intelligence analyst John Miller said that snipers like the shooter are “methodical and patient, self-reliant.”

“This is the kind of person who would have planned to get in silently, try to be invisible, take this shot, accomplish the mission, take the gun with them and leave little evidence behind which is why I think they’re having a very difficult time getting started on this,” Miller told CNN.

The FBI is asking for anyone with “information, photos and video” of the shooter.

About 3,000 were at Kirk’s event, which was a debate hosted by his Turning Point USA organization. It was in the Sorensen Center courtyard at Utah Valley University. It was the first of 14 stops on Kirk’s “The American Comeback Tour.”

President Donald Trump, in an address to the nation from the Oval Office, called Kirk a “martyr for truth and freedom.”

“Charlie inspired millions and tonight all who knew him and loved him are united in shock and horror,” Trump said.

“This is a dark moment for America,” he said.

A vigil was held in Kirk’s memory in Scottsdale, Arizona, the city where Kirk lived.

About 200 people came together to honor Kirk.

John Yep, president and CEO of Catholics for Catholics, summarized a text he had sent to Kirk shortly after his death.

“I want you to know we’re gonna honor your blood, your sacrifice and your tears,” Yep said, according to the AP. “Your little tiny kids are gonna know that when their dad was taken from this Earth, that we came here and prayed.”

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President Donald Trump: ‘Charlie Kirk, is dead.’

Update 4:45 p.m. ET, Sept. 10: President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that Kirk has died.

Spokesperson Andrew Kolvert confirmed Kirk’s death, The New York Times reported.

Turning Point USA told employees and supporters in a note: “It’s with a heavy heart that we, the Turning Point USA leadership team, write to notify you that early this afternoon, Charlie went to his eternal reward with Jesus Christ in Heaven,” CNN reported.

Kirk, 31, leaves behind his wife, Erika Lane Frantzve, and two children, The Washington Post reported.

Images from the scene

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Alleged shooter not in custody, university spokesperson says

Update 4:19 p.m. ET, Sept. 10: Despite school officials saying earlier that the alleged shooter was in custody, posting it to X, Utah Valley University spokesperson Scott Trotter said in a statement, “The suspect is not in custody,” CNN and the Deseret News reported.

This screengrab shows the tweet that went out earlier Wednesday afternoon, shortly after the shooting occurred.

Officials had detained a person, as shown on videos from the scene, but officials said that person was not the alleged gunman, The New York Times reported.

Utah Valley University: What to know

Update 4:05 p.m. ET, Sept. 10: Utah Valley University is located in Orem, Utah, under 40 miles south of Salt Lake City and about 8 miles north of Provo.

According to the school’s website, “Utah Valley University is an integrated university and community college that educates every student for success in work and life through excellence in engaged teaching, personalized services, and rigorous scholarship.”

The university said that in the fall of 2023, it had more than 46,809 students enrolled, with an additional 16,699 high school students having concurrent enrollment.

The school’s leadership said the campus “welcomes everyone” and has “42 countries represented in the student body, 28% of our students are nontraditional (25+ years old)” and that “37% of our students are first-generation.”

The school’s president, Dr. Astrid Tuminez, is the university’s seventh president and was appointed in 2018. She is the school’s first female president.

Scheduled to speak at Dartmouth

Update 3:59 p.m. ET, Sept. 10: Kirk was scheduled to take the tour to Dartmouth on Sept. 25. The college’s president, Sian Beilock, said that a bipartisan group of students invited the conservative activist to the campus and that tickets sold out within 10 minutes of being available, the AP reported.

Critical condition, AP reports

Update 3:47 p.m. ET, Sept. 10: The AP reported that Kirk is in critical condition, according to a law enforcement official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the public.

The shot was fired from about 200 yards from where Kirk was speaking from a campus building, CNN reported.

An aide with the Turning Point USA organization said that Kirk traveled with private security when he was speaking to crowds, no matter the size.

University and local police were also on hand providing security at the event, CNN reported.

FBI, ATF on scene

Update 3:36 p.m. ET, Sept. 10: Attorney General Pam Bondi said on X, “FBI and ATF agents are on the scene,” The Washington Post reported.

Single shot

Update 3:31 p.m. ET, Sept. 10: The AP said video showed Kirk speaking into a microphone while sitting under a white tent when a single shot rang out. Kirk then reached up to his neck, where blood was gushing out. The AP said it confirmed that the video was recorded at the Sorensen Center courtyard on campus.

Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have condemned the shooting.

Senate Republican Leader John Thune said, “There is no place in our country for political violence. Period, full stop. Please join me in praying for Charlie Kirk,” CNN reported.

White House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries wrote, “political violence is NEVER acceptable,” adding, “My thoughts and prayers are with Charlie Kirk and his family.”

Original report: Fox News said he was taken to a hospital.

The extent of his injuries has not been confirmed, CNN reported.

The Deseret News reported that a suspect was in custody and that the campus was in lockdown, with an alert sent to students.

Former Utah Republican Rep. Jason Chaffetz was at the event and said that when shots rang out, Kirk had taken a question that Chaffetz said was a “religious question,” followed by a second question about “transgender shootings” and “mass killings.”

“When that happened, when that question came out, and he’s, you know, he’s going to have the interaction, one shot. I was watching Charlie. I can’t say that I saw blood. I can’t say that I saw him get hit, but I did see him fall immediately backwards and to his left,” Chaffetz told Fox News, according to CNN.

“As soon as the shot went out, everybody hit the deck and everybody started scattering and yelling and screaming, as you might imagine. And I went from watching Charlie Kirk to looking over to make sure our daughter and our son-in-law were okay,” Chaffetz said.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said he is being briefed about the situation.

President Donald Trump posted to Truth Social, “We must all pray for Charlie Kirk, who has been shot. A great guy from top to bottom. GOD BLESS HIM.”

Vice President JD Vance posted on X, “Say a prayer for Charlie Kirk, a genuinely good guy and a young father.”

FBI Director Kash Patel said the agency is “closely monitoring reports of the tragic shooting involving Charlie Kirk.”

Gov. Gavin Newsom wrote on X, “The attack on Charlie Kirk is disgusting, vile, and reprehensible. In the United States of America, we must reject political violence in EVERY form.”

CNN called Kirk “one of the most prominent pro-Trump activists and conservative media personalities in the United States.”

The Washington Post said his Turning Point USA “advocates for conservative politics at high schools and colleges‚" and that the event was sponsored by Utah Valley University’s chapter of the organization.

Less than a half-hour before the shooting, Kirk had posted to his X account, “WE. ARE. SO. BACK. Utah Valley University is FIRED UP and READY for the first stop back on the American Comeback Tour.”

Kirk, according to earlier reports, was supposed to host his “prove me wrong” table, allowing audience members to try to stump him, KSL reported.

He was scheduled to return to Utah on Sept. 30 for the same type of event at Utah State University, but thousands of people had signed a petition to stop him from visiting the campus.

The petition said, “Utah State University has consistently worked toward fostering an inclusive space for all its students and faculty. Letting a figurehead, whose speeches often seem to undermine the essence of inclusivity, use our beloved institution as a platform contradicts this mission,” according to KSL.

A similar petition had been started before today’s visit to Utah Valley University, but had fewer than 1,000 signatures.

Check back for more on this developing story.

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